A Bat, A Mononoke, and Everything In Between
by Maruken
Summary: A loner bat thief and a mysterious mononke{spirit wolf} with a temper. All this equals utter pandamonium, very sore muscles, and one hell of a headache. For anyone who ever wanted to know Kuronue's past, here it is. {My version anyway.}
1. Fateful meeting

Disclaimer: I own everything here, except Kuronue and the concept of Yu Yu Hakusho.  
  
Kuronue: If she did, the apacolypse would be here.  
  
Maruken: I'm not that insane!  
  
Kuronue: Then why do you have that badge Nut-House dangling off your ear?  
  
Maruken: Because, I'm a proud member. *thrusts chest out proudly.*  
  
Kuronue: You an ESCAPEE on the RUN!!!! Not a member!" And quit eating raw fish while it's still alive. It's quite disturbing.  
  
Maruken: *Munching on fish* It's only disturbing to you because... mmrrrmmphfff!  
  
Kuronue: *Holding his hand over Maruken's mouth* Enough of that. You get the point people. Just read.  
  
"This is sooooo boring. There's absolutly NOTHING to do!" The raven haired boy said angrily as he kicked a pebble into the air and caught it in his clawed fist. "There's nothing to do in my tribe," Which was only so true. He had already plundered all the treasuries and stolen anything and everything of value and looks. And even after all that he had gotten so bored he put everything back, sometimes he led the whole tribe on a wild goose chase for a stolen or missing item. The chases and hunts were the really fun things to do but on a day like this, it just seemed boring."there are no youkai to fight or chase or eat, and I'm CERTAINLY not going to go and fight a plant." He shivered as he remember his encounter with a very big and very hungry Makai mimosa.  
  
Unfortunatly in his brooding he slipped on the log he was walking on and plummeted into the water. His black locks thrashed from side to side as he tried to keep his head above the water. Legs kicked wildly under the water, and his wings struggled franticly to flap. After a few strokes of his wings he was able to escape the water's deadly grasp. Since he had used most of his energy and stength flailing around in the water, the young boy rested on the water's bank. His favorite hat was soaked and so were his clothes. Pointy elfin ears wiggled up and down, trying to rid themselves of the little droplets.  
  
"That was NOT the kind of excitement I wanted. Why can't the instructors teach us more useful things, like how to SWIM?!" He spat at no one in particular. But he got an answer anyway. "Maybe because you should already KNOW?" A female voice from behind him suggested in a rather sarcastic tone. He spun around to see who had spoken. His cobalt eyes met blue and green ones instantly. The two stared each other down, trying to see which one would back down. Neither one did. Suddenly a smirk came across her face and her wine red tail twitched beside her. "What would you like to know, my true nickname or my false real one?" The boy became puzzled, but didn't let it show. "Your real nickname." He said casually. " Kaito." "Now what's your false real name?" He asked, thinking he had overcome her puzzle. " Kitsune Ookami, baka." Her smirk got wider showing one wide, glistening fang. He took this as the wrong choice, but there were no other choices. "Okay, tell me your true real name." She took a mock bow. "Honounoko, Yamiko." Golden whisps of hair blew across her face as she stood up. "Now what's your name, bat?" "Kuronue." " Last name?" He crosssed his arms and stood up facing her. "Now after that puzzle, do I really have to tell you that little piece of information?"  
  
She eyed him carefully, he looked around 500. " Shouldn't you back with your tribe? You look awfully young for a rurouni." "Likewise, a young kitsune shouldn't be wandering around without supervision." A low growl escaped her throat at that. "Well young kitsunes shouldn't be without someone to watch over them." He added haughtily. " You truly think I'm a kitsune, don't you?" "With that little puzzle, smirk, attitude, big tail and long ears I'd say you are." " Then you better look harder, cause I'm no kitsune." He looked at her incredulously. " Do you mean to tell me your a youko?!" His voice had a bit of an edge to it. He had heard youko's were extremely dangerous and extremly intelligent tricksters and thieves. If this truly was a youko he would have to be very catious around her. Green and blue eyes glared at him and seemed to bore a hole right through him. At least she wished they did. " No i'm not a youko, and I'm not a kitsune either and I don't have amnesia or denial problems." She snapped at him, the hackles on her neck rising in anger and annoyance. " Well then, I haven't the slightest idea of what you are, but you do have problems." He snickered at her. At this she lost it. " I'm a MONONOKE you worthless, moronic, idiotic, stupid, weak, useless, lower then dirt, lower then filth yarou!! Are you BLIND or something or are you really that dense?!! What is that thick skull protecting, AIR?!! Kami your dumber than a carcass!" Kuronue covered his ears from the loud onslaught of noisy insults. " Well EXCUSE me! You act more like a kitsune than a mononoke and your ears are long, like a kitsune's." He shot back. Very quickly Yamiko regained her composouer , showing no signs of the very recent outburst.  
  
" Now that THAT issue has been cleared up, care to fight?" She had a playful gleam in her at the mention of a fight. " Sounds good to me." And at that, the two leapt into the air launching themselves at each other. Yamiko slashed at Kuronue's upper arm, but missed and got his lower arm. He kicked her shoulder as a counter act and sent her flying down to the ground. He closed his wings and dove after her. Yamiko flipped back on her feet and began ducking and manuevering Kuronue's barage of fists. But she wasn't fast enough to block all of them and some hit their mark. Her left leg was heavily bruised, so on instinct most of the weight shifted onto her right leg. A small yip eminated from her throat from the pain of the transfer. She began running at him as his attack became slower from what she thought was fatigue. Really Kuronue had planned she would try a head on tactic so he feigned fatigue and as soon as she came within range he would kick her hard in the right shin, hoping to catch her by surprise. Because he hurt her right leg in a very painful place he thought her weight would shift onto her left leg and in doing so would cause immense pain in her left leg and so she would fall to the ground beneath him and he would win the fight. Unfortunatly, for him at least, Yamiko had different plans.  
  
As soon as she came within kicking range she propelled herself into the sky and landed on Kuonue's left shoulder. Lethal claws tore into his flesh and the weight forced his knees to buckle. As soon as she felt his legs give way she leapt from his shoulder, leaving five deep gashes. He hissed in pain and grabbed his injury. Suddenly she dove for him, claws extended. He rolled out of her path and onto his feet. Much to his pleasure, he rolled behind her. So before she could pinpoint his current location he jumped and clawed her back. At the increase of pain and surprise she yelped and jumped foreward, so only four of Kuronue's claws dug into her flesh. She quickly caculated where he was and lept to the left, narrowly missing his attack. They faced each other, eyes mere slits now. Kuronue ran at her and Yamiko avoided, trying to buy time to think of a strategy. But in her thought he lept behind her and put her in a strangle hold. With a few strokes of his leathery black wings they were surronded by only air and trees. He flew back first into a large tree, intending to crush her. Unfotunatly as soon as her back hit the rough bark she managed to free her legs and dug her claws into the tree, getting a firm grip. With all the energy and strength she could muster Yamiko slammed Kuronue into the trunk.  
  
His head began to pound furiously, his body began to go limp, and his vision began to become clouded with black splotches. He could feel the wind rushing past him as he fell from the sky. He was unconcious before his body hit the ground. Meanwhile Yamiko still had her claws embedded in the tree and was trying to get them out. To make sure she wouldn't fall when they were free she clutched the tree with her front claws and just as anticipated, her legs fell below her and she began her descent down the tree. By the time she reached Kuronue he was awake and had his elbows propped up beneath him. He looked up at her wavering form beside him. She was smiling, not smirking, Kuronue noticed this and flashed her a smile of his own. She laughed at this and plopped down beside him, lying down on the endless sea of grass. Her blue and green eyes closed and a serene expression came upon her features. Before she fell into an exhausted slumber she mumbled,"Heh heh, I win."  
  
Maruken:.......*unconscious*  
  
Kuronue: *Hand still over Maruken's mouth.* Ooops, didn't mean to do that. So I guess i'll say it........ REVIEW PEOPLE!!!! 


	2. More than a glance

Kuronue: Hello again! As you remember my LITTLE mistake from last time....  
  
Maruken: You were SUFFOCATING me!  
  
Kuronue: Ah, yes....... Well..  
  
Maruken: And Kuronue still can't...MRPPPHHFFFFF!!!  
  
Kuronue: I'm SURE everyone knows THAT little useless piece of information. As I was saying WHAT ARE YOU DOING READING THIS?!! Read the STORY, PEOPLE!!  
  
Disclamer: Again, blood is not falling from the sky and dragons don't roam the Earth. My era has not come yet... BUT IT WILL!!!!!!...A.K.A...... I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.  
  
As soon as Kuronue was sure she was asleep he took a good long look at her. Since they were fighting and exchanging insults, he hadn't got a good clear look at her. Now he could tell she had shoulder length whisps of gold and tan that hung on the sides of her face. A long brown braid with tan highlights lay next to her on the grass, stray hairs swayed back and forth. Wine red ears lay amongst her hair and a long wine red tail was spead out from beneath her. Her shirt was sprayed with blood, which contrasted with her blue and green sleeveless shirt which wrapped around her neck and had intricate designs of golden thread. Cream colored off white pants billowed from her waist and got bigger towards her ankles, where it stopped. Strips of the cloth like the shirt wrapped around her ankle and 2nd toe on each foot.  
  
He was very careful not to touch her, one of the few things he had learned from his instructors were that mononokes could communicate through touch with a vision of themselves called a soulself. If you were ever touched by a mononoke never follow them into their own soul territory, but this is kind of easy because they have to be touching you for you to be able to venture out of your own soul territory and down a different path. "Finally I'm beginning to use some of the stuff they taught me. But who would have thought it would be on mononokes?"He chuckled to himself and laid back down, gaze averted to the sky. As he watched the sky he thought over everything he knew about mononokes."When I get back to the tribe I'll learn more about mononokes, and hopefully find out why she was so angry at being called a kitsune and a youko." After these last words he fell into sleep.  
  
A few hours later Yamiko's eyes shot open. The night sky was on the brink of twilight, her favorite time. Also the time she was supposed to be back."Kuso, why does everything have to be so peaceful and then in a instant it's shattered?" Her eyes looked up at the sky then down at her newfound friend. Kuronue was sleeping peacefully, black bangs obscuring his eyes. Two stray locks of midnight ran down his shoulders to his chest and moved in time with rise and fall. He had a stange hat that had little back, a long brim and no roof, that basically served as a hairband for his waist length raven black hair. Little pointy ears stuck out of the mass of black. He had on baggy light brown pants with two holders that had sickles in them, both attached to a piece of rope. " So he didn't try to kill me, he just wanted to have some fun too." She realized. If she wanted to, her swallow bow would probably have killed him. His black shirt was frayed at the shoulders and had a little v neck. A cream colored wrap lay on his hips that had a large v shapped cut in the middle so he could spread his legs as far as he wanted which gave him maximum speed when running, or so she guessed. Wide stripes of black leather wrapped around his arms and ankles. The black leather wings were concealed in his back while he lay sleeping there. As she was turning to leave she whispered, "Sayonara, bat." and sped towards her pack home, at the foot of the mountains.  
  
Kuronue opened his eyes when the moon was half way from the top of the starry night sky. He propped himself up on his elbows and turned to face Yamiko but to his dismay, she was gone, leaving only grass. As he got up a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. "Forgot about that." His pounding headache was gone so he could think more clearly. Probably nobody at the tribe missed him so he didn't care how long he stayed out. His mother might miss him, unless the hunt for a notorious thief was successful. And if the hunt was successful his father would be out there, beating them to a pulp. The kids were pretty scared of him, except for a select few, the ones that actually had contact with the darker side of Makai and knew how to handle themselves. But even they just left him alone, but put him higher than the ignorant little batlings. The only person who actually cared about him was his favorite instructor, Midoritsuki. He taught Kuronue how to really fight in desperate measures, and the right foods to eat in the unsheltered and wilder regions of Makai. Midoritsuki taught him all the really important crucial things. One of the most important things in Makai is the social ladder, a least that was what Midoritsuki thought. To know what royalty know and think of you, how to catch them off guard, how to act around certain guards and protectors, how certain youkai and hanyou races and breeds think, how to find creatures incognito and how to strike deals with almost any creature. Luckily the feeling was mutual for both instructor and student, they both came to care for each other.  
  
"I wonder if Midoritsuki knows anything about mononokes." Kuronue thought aloud. Deciding there was nothing else to do, and no better sorce of RELIABLE information, he spread his black wings and took off. The wind blowing past him always made him feel better. Luckily the night air was still crisp and refreshing, as it always was at the beginning of the night. "Bet Midoritsuki is going to have one hell of an expression on his face when he finds out I actually met a mononoke. Heh,heh." He chuckled a bit at the thought and shook his head. Before he knew it, he was already outside Midoritsuki's hut.  
  
A light taping noise was heard as Kuronue gentle knocked on the fabric. "Come in." Came a bit of a rough voice from inside the hut. Kuronue did as asked and stepped into his instructor's hut. It was nice and cozy but spacious enough for about 5 people. "Where were you? I thought you would have wanted to see the caught thief." This time the noice came from a man who looked about 1700. He had emerald hair in a short ponytail with two long stray strips down the sides of his face. His eyes were a glossy silver and he mostly wore dark green on his long baggy pants and waist length kimono.  
  
"They caught the thief?!" Kuronue's jaw dropped. " He wasn't a very clever one, but the bounty money will keep us fed for about three weeks." "That's pretty good, but we can just go out and hunt for our food, I can't see why the others don't." He grumbled a bit. " Kuronue, lower level youkai are getting really scarce. The only other youkai are the A and S classes and some very high B classes. We have to bargain with other, more fortunate youkai." Midoritsuki tried to reason with him. "But that just makes us seem like low weaklings!" Kuronue exclaimed. "You and your pride, not everyone has pride like that." Midoritsuki shook his head at Kuronue's last comment. "Anyway, I came to see if you knew anything about mononokes." Midoritsuki looked Kuronue directly in the face, long and hard,but to his amazement and curiousity he didn't even flinch. "You know I don't teach mythology. Besides, you always hated it, called it 'a bunch of junk thought up by a crazy pyshcopath with serious mental deficincies'." " Well, maybe some wern't missing as many parts as I thought." Kuronue defended himself, against his own words. " Why this sudden interest in mononokes, only?" "Reasons." Midoritsuki decided he wouldn't press the topic any further, he knew from experience the little bat could be as stubborn as a rock, and just about as movable. "Try the instructor that actually KNOWS mythology and believes in the crap." snorted Midoritsuki.  
  
So Kuronue found himself in front of his mythology instructor's hut, at midnight. He quietly tapped on the fabric, and got the same "Come in." as Midoritsuki greeted him with. But the reaction was quiet different. "KURONUE?!! What in all the heavens and hells are you DOING HERE?! And at this HOUR!" Yelled Mizuyume, in absolute shock. "That's the second bashing my ears have gotten." He mumbled under his breath. "I'm here to find out about mononokes." "But I thought you hate mythology?" Kuronue mouthed what Mizuyume said. "And if your going to ridicule me you can learn about them elsewhere." "Gomenasai Instructor" Kuronue said rather quickly, for fear of not being able to learn about his newfound friend's history and abilities. " Now, sit down and I will tell you of mononokes and their enemies and allies."  
  
Kuronue: Ahhh, K'so, I did it again.  
  
Maruken:....* Passed out, yet AGAIN, from lack of oxygen.*  
  
Kuronue: Well, I might be able to wake her up again if we get 5 more reviews.*Shameful bribery* 


	3. A history revealed, and a very depressin...

Maruken: Sorry for the late update! Things REALLY didn't go my way this week, oh, well.  
  
Kuronue: * Appears out of nowhere*  
  
Maruken:Yahhh! *Quickly inches away*  
  
Kuronue: I'm not going to suffocate you for a THIRD time! Baka onna.  
  
Maruken:*Now choking the bat* WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!!  
  
Kuronue: Sh..e. does....n't. ow....n Yu.Yu... Ha..kus..ho.......*Still being choked*  
  
"Mononokes are very rare and mysterious creatures of myth. Their true form is that of an abnormally large wolf, with more than one tail. The strongest mononokes have three tails. They're also the only youkai with the ability to."" I KNOW that already." Kuronue interrupted. Mizuyume raised an eyebrow. "So you wern't sleeping. Alright, that's pretty much all I know."  
  
"What about their culture?" He asked. Mizuyume looked stuned." How do you even know that word?" "I'm not a baka, I know what the word 'culture' means!" Kuronue took great offense to this. "Strange batling," Kuronue was now fuming." so, you want to know about their culture. Let's see, where to begin." Mizuyume began rubbing his temples, which irriated Kuronue to no end.  
"Ah! Got it. The males are mostly the dominant ones. A male mononoke could defeat a male youko, at least some could. The females, a select few could defeat a male youko, maybe. Females are sometimes given off as gifts, or offerings of peace, or as an alliance. That age is around 1000. The males may then do whatever they want with the females. Although, the mononokes are a proud race, I've never heard of them giving females off to other youkai groups, such as, crows, cats, bats, horses and certainly not kitsunes, or youkos. But when they do give females to other mononoke packs, the offering is usually the answer to the question. If she is battered, bruised and beaten, the answer is no. If she's in a healthy condition when brought back, the answer is yes." "Shimatta, it must suck to be a female mononoke." Kuronue suddenly felt a bit sympathetic towards Yamiko. "Oh, no. At least, they don't think so." Kuronue paused to think of another question.  
  
"Do they have any enemies?" " Oh yes! Mononokes HATE youkos! Likewise, youkos HATE mononokes.." Mizuyume stated, putting a lot of emphasis on the hate part. "Why?" He asked, giving a puzzled look. " It is said that there used to be an ancient artifact that the mononokes and youkos guarded, together. Back then they were allies and friends. Yet there were always the ones that didn't like each other. Some mononokes thought of the youkos as dirty, coniving thieves. However some youkos thought of the mononokes as stuck up, greedy and unfaithful. Some female mononokes thought of youko females as slutty whores, and some youko females thought of mononoke females as shallow bitches. It was enevitable, the artifact was stolen. Youkos blamed mononokes and vice versa. Since then, they seperated and became the worst of enemies."  
  
"Wow. No wonder she took offense to that." He whispered under his breath, so Mizuyume wouldn't hear him. "Arigato, good night." And with that, Kuronue stepped outside into the cold night. Vicious winds bit into his skin and whipped his black tresses aroud violently. The young bat then headed straight for his own hut. " I can't belive I called her a kitsune AND a youko. I feel like such a bakayarou!" He scolded himself aloud for his own ignorance.  
  
When Kuronue got home, no one was there to greet him. However he was quite used to the silence and solitude and being alone. He supposed it suited him. His kyn never came into his hut, much less his room, so he decorated it with his latest thefts. Right now jewels shined on display cases, which Kuronue had made in his spare time. They brightened the room and made it more cheery. The small candles behind the fauceted gems help to create the illusion he had stolen more than he actually had.  
  
Since he wasn't hungry. At the thought he mumbled to himself, " As if I was allowed to eat while the rest went hungry. They're so weak and igronant and dependant." He spat the last word out in fury, dripping in disgust, as he flopped onto his bed. A bunch of straw and feathers and skins made up his bed, so he didn't really fall hard. Unfortunatly he had forgottten his shoulder. He screamed in pain and his hand shot up to the wound to decrease the blood flow. "Might as well bandage that, hate sleeping on a bed that smells of blood. Besides it's near impossible to get out." So he got up and removed a rock from the otherside of the bed, which revealed a beige sack.  
  
Inside the beige sack were a couple cleaned bandages and special tweeser like blades, used to find and pull pieces of foreign matter out of open wounds. These too were cleaned, leaving them a glinting silver. Among the bandages and tweeser blades were small sacks with a differnt colored strip on each. The contents of theses small sacks, were herbs that Midoritsuki taught him to use for many differnt purposes. The colors were so Kuronue wouldn't mix the herbs up, that might just kill him, if he used them wrong. Carefully he poured a very small amount of the green striped sack's herbs into his clawed fingernail. satisfied he then poured that into a somewhat medium bowl. Next he selected a violet striped sack and poured it's herbs into his outstretched palm. He then took three pinches and poured them into the medium bowl with the other herb. Lastly he picked up a rather large black striped sack and picked out nine reddish tan leaves. Grabbing a rounded stone, he then mashed all the herbs together into a semi dark green paste, which he carefully and cautiously applied to his shoulder's gashes. It was just a simple medicine to help his wounds heal faster, unfortunatly, it did nothing for the pain. When done with that he picked up a couple bandages and proceded to wrap them around his shoulder.  
  
Satisfied his wound wouldn't bleed onto his bed he packed up all the beige sack's contents and hid it under the rock again. Now extremely tired he took off his scythes and their holders and hid them under his bed and laid down to sleep. Since his mind wouldn't focus on anything he banished all thoughts of Yamiko and what he had just learned from his mind. With nothing to try and think of, he was asleep within minutes.  
  
Maruken: *Still choking Kuronue.*  
  
Kuronue:* Now unconcious, head just waging side to side, swirly eyed, KENSHIN STYLE!*  
  
Maruken: *Finally realizing he's not on this plane of the living.* How do YOU like being unconscious?! Tell me that!  
  
Kuronue* Still unconscious*  
  
Maruken: Fine, don't answer me!  
  
Kuronue: * In dream place, still unconscious.* Why does she make my childhood so miserable? Baka onna. HAH! You can't throttle me here! Anyways people you know what makes her more sane, reviews, and keep in mind, I have to LIVE with her!! 


	4. Royalty's a pain, ask the hime

Maruken: I got TWO MORE REVIEWS!!!  
  
Kuronue: * Hands her 5 pretty jewels*  
  
Maruken: I WON THE BET!!! Yay!!People DID review! And I thought you were optimistic.  
  
Kuronue: I WAS being optomistic. FOR MYSELF!  
  
Maruken: Now to answer the nice reviewer's question..  
  
Kuronue: * Runs to Maruken to suffocate her a 4th time*  
  
Maruken:* Pulls out a REALLY big bow and some REALLY sharp arrows. Points her LOADED bow directly at Kuronue* Since I'm angry at you for trying to suffocate me AGAIN..... you can tell them your little weakness.  
  
Kuronue: How do I konw you're really going to sho.... WOAH! * Ducks and REALLY sharp arrow flys by him* O.O Okay..... Ummmm, I can't s..w...i....m.  
  
Maruken: What was that? I couldn't hear you..* Loads another REALLY sharp arrow onto her REALLY big bow.*  
  
Kuronue: I can't....... I can't..... ALRIGHT, I CAN'T SWIM!!! HAPPY?!  
  
Maruken: *Laughing her head off*  
  
Kuronue: I hope you're happy MEAN reviewer...... OOOWWW!!!  
  
Maruken: Bad bat, bad bat!! BAKAYAROU!!* Whacks Kuronue over the head with her REALLY big bow. Then begins to fawn over it, petting it.*  
  
Scrunchie: Maruken does NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho.  
  
Maruken: You, you're.. you're my sister's evil scrunchie!! Shi ne!!!  
  
Scrunchie: I told you I would have my revenge!!  
  
Maruken: You never said that...  
  
Moring came early for Yamiko. The lashings from last night had pretty much healed and left only faded red lines. Recollections of last night were still clear in her head.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
"Where were you?! Twilight's already over! You should have been back here BEFORE Twilight!" " I fell asleep! Okay! That's NOT as bad as you make it out to be!" Yamiko yelled at her father, the furious Alpha. "ASLEEP?! You fell ASLEEP?! Well then, to make sure you don't fall asleep in the wilderness again you'll just have to stay here, won't you?" He sneered at her. "Stay HERE?!! WHY would I stay HERE?!!" " Because you BELONG here! You're a mononoke hime! HIME!" The Alpha finally realized what he was yelling at her was going in one ear and out the other.  
  
All of a sudden Yamiko felt a sharp stinging pain in her right cheek. Blood dripped off his ivory white claw, specked with wine red trails, and onto the floor in a rythmic pattern. As she thought this her face paled a little and she became tense, waiting, anticipating who this person was and what they might be bringing.  
  
"Shinroku, please beat some sense into her. I would really like her to quit gallivanting around and disreguarding everyones wishes like some.. some..." " Youko slut?" Shinroku offered. Yamiko bit her tongue and seethed with anger at being called a slut. " Yes, sadly that was just what I was trying to say. Sayonara, I leave her to you." And with that the Alpha strode away, muttering something about insubordinate pups. " Arigato, Odaasan." She bit out through clenched teeth, each syllable drenched in sarcasm.  
  
The elder mononoke swiftly slid his hand into a leather belt that hung around his waist, and it came out gripping the handle of a black whip. This caught Yamiko off guard. He effortlessly flicked the handle and the rest of the whip came crashing down upon her fleeting figure, tearing into the flesh on her lower left arm. She hissed in pain and clutched the wounded limb, pulling it close to her chest. Blue and green eyes darted back and forth, to his hand, the whip then his face, trying to predict his next attack. Soundlessly he manuevered the long, black length into an ark, aimed at her legs. This tactic, if successful, would render her imobile, both he and she knew it.  
  
As the whip came at her again her mind formed a small stratagy, she waited till it was about two feet from her and back flipped a good eight feet away. " A whip?! Coward! What happened to hands on pain, including feet?" She taunted him as he drew his whip in a diagonal line, just licking the side of her right foot. "I grew weary of you trying to boil my legs off. I happened to need them." He nonchalantly answered. "You mean you got scared!" She continued trying to distract him jeers. In response he continued his assault with the whip. Unfortunatly he didn't remember the familiar pattern which her form was carrying out.  
  
She took full advantage of this and used her two favorite katas in unison. The first, the Winding Stream, used to evade attacks. The second, the Reed Katana, which allowed her to bend like a reed, but cut like a blade as well. Both katas were excecuted almost flawlessly, and unnoticed. Yet after three blows hit cloth and flesh, he caught onto her attack stratagy and switched to defense.  
  
Suddenly the whip lashed out from behind her. Sharp pain and explodede from her back, created from the whip and the now reopened wounds inflicted upon her by her new friend, Kuronue. Her knees collapsed and hit the floor, clawed hands shot out to stop her fall. A howl of pain vibrated throughout her entire body. Blood splashed to the flood, coating her shadow in a thin coat of crimson. She willed her body to get up but she as she could muster enough strength, an oparick tipped boot came down upon her back, staining the boot a marroon like color.  
  
Before she cold stop it a pained cry escaped her parched throat. Shinroku, in his ignorance, thought it was he who had caused her such tremendous pain. This boosted his already huge ego. He failed realize she only howled in agony like this when he straddled her back and repeatedly cut the whip flesh, many, many times.  
  
He grabbed face and forced her gaze directly into his eyes. Cold, saphire eyes with the luster of obsidian. Even though Yamiko had the appearance of a seven year old, she had the glare of a fourteen yearold, someone twice as old as her. "So, vixen, how does pain feel, hm? Do you want more?" His clawed fist raised his weapon into the air and let it hover over the little wolf pup. However, she didn't move, her eyes still locked with his and her body remained stiff and rigid. Her posture didn't change and neither to her attitude. For th lack of answer she knew she would be punished, and she was right. A sharp sting cut into her lower left cheek, like a stripe, a deep red stripe, and her ears were once again filled with the rythmic pattern of dripping blood.  
  
Since he thought he had broken her back, by the appearance, he thought of a very cruel way to torture her. "On second thought, vixen, I think you've learned your lesson," "you may now retire to your room." He looked down at her haughtily.I don't like this at all. Something's going on. If I get up he might declare it a joke and commence in toturing me again, and HE' s certainly not going to turn his back on me. So..  
  
Despite her fear of she got up on wobbly legs and proceeded to walk away with a bit of a noticable limp in her proud stance. However she tageted Shinroku with all her senses, except sight, just incase he made any abrupt or sudden movements. Luckily, or as she thought suspiciously , she was able to make it to her quater without any harrasements or anything of the like.  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
"I wonder why he let me go?" Yamiko thought aloud, actually, it was just a whisper. The clothes she wore were the ones from last night, so they were, ragged, torn and bloodstained. Since she was a hime, her closet A.K.A wardrobe had many varieties of clothing. However most of them were uncomfortable and really made her stand out, so she hardly wore any of them, some wern't even touched. Finally she decided on an outfit that knid of resmbled her last one. A hakama with turquiose hues and a kimono-like top with faded beige hues and a tanish golden obi-like sash. Once dressed, she decided to take a look outside.  
  
Her sensitive nose tested the air and found it riddled with scents. Cooked meat, herbs and spices floated upo the breeze. Her room was placed near the kitchen purposely so Shinroku could beat her if she tried to steal. And the first few times his plan worked. Now, whenever something goes missing in the kitchen, she's blamed and had to be interogated.  
  
Oh Kami how she hated that man! He drove her up the wall, trying to make her life a living Hell, and she was only 500! A pup! So she quickly and silently snuck out a secret window she'd created and walked down the dark and dank passage it lead to. Soon she was outside by a small village of ookamis and mononokes. "Good ridance." She muttered as she walked into the lush forest, overflowing with dense greenery. The scenery always calmed her nerves and put her in a semi- serene state of mind.  
  
Kuronue: At least I'm not the only one with a messed up childhood.* Glances at Maruken.*  
  
Maruken: *Currently engaged in a war with her older sister's evil, charred, mutilated, burnt and disembowled used-to-b-a-scrunchie-but-is-now-a-VERY- charred-mutilated-burnt-and-disembowled-piece-of-cloth. Maruken still thinks it's evil though.*  
  
Kuronue: *Left eye twitching every other second* GIVE IT A REST!! IT'S DEAD MARUKEN!! DEAD!! D.E.A.D!  
  
Maruken* Kuronue's VERY loud yelling blows scrunchie out of her grasp.* It's ALIVE! ALIVE I TELL YOU!! ALIVE!! IT JUST RAN AWAY! COME BACK HERE YOU @!@#$^&*&%#!#$^#@%$%$^%#$@%#^$#%@^%$&$*^%&(**&%(&(*&^%*^$(&%(*^&$#$*O&%^$(&$ *$^*%)*&%(&$!~!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Kuronue: I give........ I say this on behalf of her sanity and mine( Although she say her sanity was forgotten in a blender and poured down the garbage disposal when she was on a sugar high. I'm losiing my sanity people, do you know why? BECAUSE NOW I'M BEGINNING TO BELIEVE HER!!} please review. And arigato for those of you who have been! You're not forgotten! 


End file.
